The 2025 USL Jägermeister Cup will feature all 38 professional men’s clubs from USL Championship and League One competing in a World Cup-style tournament throughout the regular season.
Here’s what it means for Las Vegas Lights FC.
Las Vegas Lights FC has a new trophy to pursue in 2025: the USL Jägermeister Cup.
After successfully rolling out the new tournament last year with only USL League One teams (Colorado Hailstorm triumphed in that inaugural edition), the league has expanded the tournament for 2025 to include every Championship club, as well. This is the first time a U.S. soccer league has established its own interleague cup.
While similar in principle to the U.S. Open Cup, there are some key differences for this in-season tournament, which starts for the Lights on Saturday, April 26 at Orange County SC.
Is it a single elimination bracket like the U.S. Open Cup?
In short, no. But eventually, yes.
For the USL Jägermeister Cup, all the teams from both leagues (38 in total) were divided into six geographical groups of either seven (two groups) or six (four groups).
Each of those groups will play a limited round robin group stage against each other for a total of four matches. After the group stage finishes, the top eight teams will advance to a single-elimination bracket similar to the Open Cup.
How do teams qualify for the knockout round?
The six group winners will advance to the knockout round, seeded one through six. Two additional wild cards will advance (the two non-group winners with the highest points totals) as seeds seven and eight.
In a unique twist, any group stage match that ends in a draw will go straight to a penalty shootout for an extra point.
Teams earn points as follows:
- Three points for a win
- Two points for a draw and penalty shootout win
- One point for a draw and penalty shootout loss
- Zero points for a loss
The tie-breakers for seeding and wild card advancement are as follows:
- Head-to-Head points earned in cup match play*
- Total wins in regulation
- Goals Scored in Cup Match Play**
- Goal Differential**
- Total Home Goals in Cup Matches
- Total Away Goals in Cup Matches
- Points accumulated in PK shootout wins
- Number of disciplinary points (i.e., fewest disciplinary points).
- Coin Toss
*For this tie breaker only, a win is considered to be a win in regulation AND a PK win. If teams have not played each other during intra-group play, skip this tie breaker. It is possible that this tie breaker may be utilized for more than two teams.
**Only considering goals scored in regulation, including PKs during regulation play.
Who is in the Lights’ group and when are the group stage matches?
Las Vegas Lights FC is in Group 1 with:
- AV Alta FC (League One)
- Monterey Bay F.C. (Championship)
- Oakland Roots SC (Championship)
- Orange County SC (Championship)
- Sacramento Republic FC (Championship)
- Spokane Velocity FC (League One)
Las Vegas’ group stage match schedule begins on Saturday, April 26 and concludes on Saturday, June 28.
- Saturday, April 26 – Away at Orange County SC
- Wednesday, April 30 – Home vs AV Alta FC
- Saturday, May 31 – Away at Sacramento Republic FC
- Saturday, June 28 – Home vs Spokane Velocity FC
The group stage concludes on the weekend of July 16, and the USL Jägermeister Cup Final will be held on the weekend of October 11.
Do these matches count towards the USL Championship regular season?
No, these matches do not count towards the regular season standings. All points earned in USL Jägermeister Cup matches count only for that competition.
However, this competition does not increase the number of games in the season (unless teams qualify for the knockout rounds).
In 2024, the USL Championship regular season consisted of 34 games. In 2025, the regular season consists of only 30 games, effectively shortening the season to accommodate the four group stage games of this new in-season tournament.
Where can fans watch USL Jägermeister Cup matches?
The USL Jägermeister Cup is part of the Lights’ regular broadcast package, meaning fans can watch the games on FOX 5 or SSSEN, while streaming will still be on ESPN+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
- FOX 5: Saturday, April 26 – Away at Orange County SC
- SSSEN: Wednesday, April 30 – Home vs AV Alta FC
- FOX 5: Saturday, May 31 – Away at Sacramento Republic FC
- SSSEN: Saturday, June 28 – Home vs Spokane Velocity FC